


Chocolate and Caramel

by Baby_babushka



Series: Reylo Oneshots [6]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: A little spicy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluffy, Force Bond, Idiots in Love, Mentions of Near-Death Experience, Mentions of child neglect, Unresolved Sexual Tension, angsty, ben is a good cook it's canon, dinner date, does this count as food play?, last shot references, rey loves food, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 08:32:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15457386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baby_babushka/pseuds/Baby_babushka
Summary: This was stupid.Probably one of the stupidest things he had ever done.And he was Kylo kriffing Ren. He’d done a lot of stupid things.But this. This was something else.He’d made dinner.For two.And he was sitting alone at an obsidian table, begging the Force to align him and the scavenger turned Jedi once more. His leg was shaking anxiously.He rested his tired face in his gloved hands and gave out a sigh.He was an idiot.Idea from @reyloprompts on Tumblr: Force Bond Dinner Dates: Kylo figures if Rey can send raindrops to him, why shouldn’t he be able to send a delicious home cooked meal to her through the bond?





	Chocolate and Caramel

This was stupid.

Probably one of the stupidest things he had ever done.

And he was Kylo kriffing Ren. He’d done a lot of stupid things.

But this. This was something else.

He’d made dinner.

For two.

And he was sitting alone at an obsidian table, begging the Force to align him and the scavenger turned Jedi once more. His leg was shaking anxiously.

He rested his tired face in his gloved hands and gave out a sigh.

He was an idiot.

 

* * *

 

It had been a rough day for Rey. Every repair she had tried to make to the old Millennium Falcon failed, and sent sparks, grease, and wires flying. Right at her, no less.

She stepped into her (thankfully) private quarters on an old Rebel base, and felt something digging into her scalp. She shook her head, and ran a hand through her buns, and found a few nuts and bolts tumbling out.

So that’s where they went.

Before she could set them down, a strange feeling swept over her. She had felt it before, though. A pressure in her ears, a tingling down her spine.

She wasn’t alone anymore.

But what she saw, or noticed first was the food. Gods, it smelled heavenly, salty, spiced and full of nutrients she had long been unacquainted with. On her worktable, was a covered plate with settings around it. Ever the opportunist, she set down the nuts and bolts and approached it.

“Hey,” she heard him practically squeak. Looking up, Rey saw the Supreme Leader of the First Order, across her table, red as a brekka beet.

“What is this?” she demanded, gesturing towards him and the food. He swallowed, working his jaw.

“Dinner,” he replied curtly, avoiding her eyes.

“I can see that,” she snapped, gesturing to him and the food once more. What the kriff was he doing? “Why is there dinner?”

“I...I made it,” he said quietly, looking down at the table, and his identical covered plate of food. “I made us dinner.”

 

* * *

 

It felt like his face was a thousand standard degrees, and her incredulous stare was boring straight through him. Force, he was sweating through his tunic.

But then once he revealed that he made it, her jaw dropped, eyes wide. He cleared his throat nervously, feeling it become scratchy from embarrassment.

“You don’t...you could just take it and leave,” he added hastily, leaning forward shakily. “I don’t expect anything from you,” he finished defeatedly. Stars, he was such an idiot-

“No, I...I wouldn’t mind having dinner with you,” she said quietly, not meeting his eyes. But that couldn’t stop the spark he felt ignite in his chest. She awkwardly sat down in the black chair, looking so out of place in his quarters. He swallowed before standing, approaching her. She flinched, and he internally scolded himself. He slowly reached out and uncovered the steaming plate of food.

He had boiled and seasoned a head of ruica, experimentally grilled some traditional spiceloaf, and baked hubba bread, sprinkled with assorted sweet berries. He had also supplied several spreads for the bread, and some additional spices if needed.

He could see the hunger clearly in Rey’s hazel eyes, and saw her lick her lips in anticipation. He quickly set away the lids on both their plates and grabbed a last addition on his part, a chilled bottle of Corellian Ale and two pristine glasses. He hated to admit it, but both the drink and food choices were influenced by his family and his upbringing. He hadn’t tried the ale yet, all too haunted by the scent and the memories.

“Ben?” he heard her ask gently. He realized he was staring dumbly at the bottle in his hand. He swallowed again before returning to the table and pouring them two glasses of the drink. He sat back down in his chair, setting the black napkin on his lap silently. “Are you okay?”

“Ben...you called me Ben,” he said quietly, fiddling with the napkin awkwardly.

“I did,” she acknowledged before following his lead and setting the identical black napkin on her lap. “I don’t want to fight,” she continued. “Not tonight.”

“Not tonight,” he agreed with a nod, finally meeting her eyes. They were surprisingly soft, and held none of the malice or loathing he expected, especially after his stunt on Crait. “Dig in,” he said, nodding towards the food.

He could see her fingers twitch with the instinct to shovel the food into her mouth with her hands, and he wouldn’t blame her if she did. Instead, she gingerly picked up a fork, with an imperfect grip, and stabbed a piece of ruica. She held it up to the light before taking it into her mouth and chewing. He was flattered she didn’t question if it was poisoned, because they both already knew the answer.

 

* * *

 

 

Stars, the food was good. Being raised on expired portions and the Resistance’s mess hall food, this was simply heavenly. She had only eaten one piece of the blue vegetable and she was already head over heels with Ben’s cooking. She eagerly took another bite, and let the soft, crunchy vegetable melt in her mouth, complete with perfectly balanced spices. She smiled unabashedly.

“Do you like it?” He asked. He hadn’t touched his food or drink, but was watching her with an avid interest.

“I love it,” she replied between mouthfuls. That earned her the smallest curl of a smile from him, one that made his eyes shine. “I’ve never had food this good. What did you make?” She asked, gesturing to the food. She felt a ripple of anguish from him, but from what, she couldn’t surmise. She was curious about the dishes, their significance, and if she could ask the cook at the mess hall to try and tackle one of them.

“The vegetable you’re eating is ruica, native to Broest. I seasoned it mildly and boiled it. The meat next to it is spiceloaf, which is normally fried or baked, but I grilled it instead,” he said, pointing to each as he spoke. She had never seen him speak with such interest. Well, except maybe when he was talking to her. “And that’s hubba bread, a traditional desert dish, but I added honey and berries.”

She eagerly cut off a piece of the spiceloaf, shoving it into her mouth and moaning in delight. Ben chuckled before beginning to eat his own meal. She also tried the hubba bread, which grew to be her favorite. It was fluffy but dense, but not too sweet, and the berries added the perfect amount of texture and moisture.

“This is amazing,” she sighed, eating more of the spiceloaf. She had never had food even close to the quality of what he was giving her, and she could feel a harp stab in her gut whenever she thought about it. Then, through an ungraceful mouthful, she asked,”Where did you learn to cook?”

He stopped mid-chew.

She too froze, terrified that she had crossed a line. He continued chewing, and swallowed the bite.

“I watched a kitchen droid,” he said, picking at his food and avoiding her eyes. “We had one...when I was growing up.” His voice was tight. He glanced at his drink, before picking it up, smelling it and taking a long swig.

“It’s okay, we don’t have to talk about it,” Rey amended, taking a tentative bite of ruica. She was puzzled by his behavior, but she knew his past and family were a touchy subject, at best.

“I should talk about it,” he said, setting back down the drink. She assumed it was alcoholic, but hadn’t yet tried it. “I should,” he repeated, rubbing his eyes. “Try the ale,” he added.

She nodded, and picked up the cold drink. It was amber colored, and caught the light beautifully. She smelled it first. It smelled sweet, lightly flavored, but with an undercurrent of yeast and bread. Kriff, who did she think she was, an ale connoisseur? She took a small sip, and was surprised by the light tingling she felt on her tongue. The taste was good, and relatively mild, which she appreciated. Swallowing, she felt a strange heat rise in the back of her throat. So that’s what alcohol was like. And she liked it. She took another sip, eyeing Ben. She set down the glass and gave him her attention.

“Keep going,” she encouraged with a nod. “Keep talking.” He swallowed and worked his jaw a bit.

“They...they didn’t have a lot of time for me,” Ben continued, fiddling with his glass. “They had a kitchen droid with some nannying programming. It took care of me most of the time.” She couldn’t think of anything sadder. A little boy, lonely and aching for love, stuck with a kriffing machine, instead of his parents or other children. She wondered how much human contact he even had. She swallowed harshly, feeling her eyes well with tears. “I hated it, I always asked to be with them instead of it. Later, I thought if I could learn to cook, they would get rid of it. Then...then they would spend time with me,” he blinked a few times. “But it didn’t work...even when I asked to be with them, they would just dismiss me as being needy or bored. I just...I-I needed...” he couldn’t talk anymore.

He hid his face behind a gloved hand, squeezing his skin hard enough to hurt. He took in a shuddering breath. Rey then realized that she was crying, too. Tears streaming down their faces, they sat in near silence.

“Kriff, Ben, I had no idea,” she managed to stay. He tensed at her words. “Ben, I am so sorry you had to go through that,” she finished, reaching across the table and grasping his free hand. He laced their fingers together instantly, his grip strong.

“I’m sorry,” he croaked, rubbing his eyes harshly before putting it back down. His eyes were red, and remnants of tears collected in the corners. “I wanted to this be a nice dinner, but I just had to drag this in,” he shook his head.

“No, no, you needed this,” she insisted. Pausing, she took his hands in hers, and removed his gloves, wanting to feel his warm skin, and give him some comfort. “I’m glad you told me. Thank you.”

“There’s...there’s more,” he said quietly, looking down at his plate of food, half eaten and growing cold. She nodded for him to continue, squeezing his hands in encouragement. Opening up like this was hard, she knew that, but he needed to let it out. “The droid...I think it almost killed me. I barely remember it...I was very young.” They both swallowed, throats thick with emotion. “All its lights went red one day when...when my parents were out. And it pulled out a rotating blade. I could feel it, it was going to cut my neck and kill me. But...something happened. I don’t know what, but it went back to being normal. I only realized much later what had almost happened, maybe at thirteen, I think. I couldn’t-I didn’t tell anyone. A-and then...they sent me to Luke...” He couldn’t meet her eyes at all anymore. A choked sob escaped him and he clapped a hand over his mouth, squeezing his weeping eyes shut. Her heart broke even more.

 

* * *

 

Force, he was pathetic. He was a sobbing mess of a man, no not even a man. A child. He felt like he had gone back in time, reverting to the small, defenseless boy he once was.

But he wasn’t alone.

Not anymore. For the first time in years, he had been touched by another person without the intent of harm. He wondered if she knew that, knew how much her hands healed him.

In a moment, her arms wrapped around him, now standing beside him. He clutched her close, burying his wet cheeks in her tunic, still smelling of engine oil. He needed this, stars, how he needed her.

He shook as they wept together. He never wanted to leave her embrace, never have to separate from her warm skin and feeling of her Force signature blending with his own.

“You’re not alone,” she whispered, stroking his hair and pressing her lips to his forehead. “I’m here.”

“I’m sorry; I ruined dinner, didn’t I?” he asked after a few minutes. He pulled back a bit, glancing at the table of now cold food and rubbing away the last of his tears.

“You didn’t ruin anything. It was delicious,” she insisted, keeping a hand on his shoulder. He nodded numbly, his mind racing. He needed to make it up to her. He knew good food was more than enough for her, he knew of her upbringing, but he couldn’t help but want to do more. He glanced around, and remembered.

Dessert.

He let a small smile curl on his lips as he stood. Rey looked at him in confusion and watched him go to his fridge and pull out two small dishes.

 

* * *

 

She recognized the dish instantly. Wasaka berry pudding. Chewie’s favorite. She couldn’t help but smile. Of course, he had changed it up a bit, adding some sort of brown colored sauce and a strange looking, light colored substance, half frozen but looking milky.

“Wasaka berry pudding,” Ben announced proudly, setting down the dishes. “With ice cream and chocolate caramel sauce.”

“Chewie loves this stuff! He’s described it to me a thousand times, but I never thought I would have the chance to try it!” she added brightly, eagerly scooping into the dessert. She didn’t know what to expect from it, as she had never really had anything sweet before. And stars, was it good. The pudding was spongy and flavorful, and the dried berries spread throughout still retained moisture, and gave additional sweetness and tart. The ice cream grew to be her favorite part, smooth and silky and cold. The sauce, whatever he had called it, was divine, and she would bathe in it if given the chance. She gave a contented hum, smiling as she took another bite. She looked up, and saw Ben looking flushed, with his mouth agape. He realized she could see him and quickly looked away, taking a bite of his own bowl of pudding.

“Do you like it?” he asked after a moment of awkward silence.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted, of course I like it!” she said with a smile. The flush returned to his cheeks, and he glanced at her mouth. “Thank you so much-”

“You’ve got…” he started, his voice dry. Was he okay? He gestured to his own mouth. “You’ve got sauce on your face.”

“Oh!” she squeaked, and raised a wrapping-clad wrist to wipe her mouth. She lowered it slightly before asking,”Did I get it?”

“No, uh-” he stammered. He fell quiet, but took a breath and stood, approaching her side of the table. Kriff, he was tall. He towered over her, but it didn’t feel threatening. If anything, it felt comforting, like she was protected. She didn’t want to think about the source of that protection, or the absurdity of their whole situation. He leaned down slightly, eyes dark with concentration as he reached out.

His eyes were the same color as the chocolate caramel sauce, dark, warm and rich. In the light, they glowed amber, like the Corellian Ale. She sucked in a desperate breath. Was it warm in there?

The bad of his thumb brushed the corner of her mouth, dragging down her bottom lip slightly. Even from that small touch, she could feel so much heat roll off of him. He must have been boiling under those robes, she thought. He pulled away, with a darkness in his eyes. Sure enough, on his thumb, a smudge of the sweet sauce.

But then he threw her through a loop.

Instead of wiping his hand on a napkin, or even his tunic, (she was known to do that) he ducked his head and licked his finger clean, only slivers of his tongue visible.

She could barely breathe.

“Thanks,” she managed to say. She found herself on her feet, close enough to feel that heat again. The darkness in his eyes returned, but she wasn’t afraid. It wasn’t a dangerous kind of darkness. Or was it?

“You’re welcome,” he whispered, raising a large, trembling hand to stroke her cheek oh so lightly, as if he could break her. Ben leaned in and down slightly, and she was sure he could hear her racing heart. “Rey,” he whispered, his voice low.

“Yes, Ben?” she asked in an equally hushed tone. The air was thick, syrupy, and she wanted to do nothing more than drown in this feeling.

“Can I k-”

...

She stumbled, his heat and presence gone. She whipped her head around, frantic. But it was too late. The bond had snapped back into dormancy. She wanted to kick something.

Looking down at her table in defeat, she saw her bowl of pudding, still waiting for her. With a small smile, she picked up the bowl, and sat in her bunk, wrapping blankets around herself.

With every bite, she thought of him.

**Author's Note:**

> Glossary/Index?
> 
> Ruica- blue lettuce-like vegetable native to Broest but traditional on Alderaan  
> Spiceloaf- meat dish from Corellia, a street food  
> Corellian Ale- alcoholic drink from Corellia  
> Hubba Bread- bread dish made from the Hubba Gourd, traditional dish on Tatooine  
> Wasaka Berry Pudding- Wookie dessert from Kashyyk
> 
> Honey and berries- native to Endor  
> Ice Cream- common on many planets and in many cultures  
> Chocolate- native to Anukara, a rare dish, considered to be a delicacy


End file.
